Work jaw means



R. E. SEELYE woax JAW MEANS Filed Feb;

April. 1, 1958 INVENTOR. BY fiofiezfd'fee! a woaa JAW MEANS Robert E. Seelye, Livonia, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, .Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application February 13, 1956, S erial No. 564,966

1 Claim. (Cl. 294-88) This invention relates to work jaw means generally and more particularly to work jaw means having an adjustable stroke and self-locking jaw members.

Numerous means have been devised for grasping and transferring workpieces from one work station to another as well as for loading and unloading workpieces from work machines. As used with stamping presses for ejecting members from a press, opened jaw work means must be moved within a press to within reach of the stamped piece after which the jaws must be closed upon the piece and withdrawn with the piece from the press. The length of the stroke of the work jaws to reach the workpiece and the timing of the closing of the jaw means must be adjusted for different presses and difierent workpieces. Such adjustable features have heretofore required the work transfer means to be other than the simple means it should be.

It is now proposed to provide work jaw means particularly adaptable for ejecting workpieces from a press or other work machine. Such means comprise relatively few parts, simply formed, and readily assembled, adjusted and made operable for diiferent work strokes. Other equally important aspects of this invention will be apparent from the description of a specific embodiment of this invention which follows and from the claim appended thereto.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a work jaw device embodying the principle of this invention, and shown in the retracted position, having parts broken away and shown in cross-section to better illustrate the device.

Figure 2 shows the device of Figure 1 in the forward, work engaging position.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the work jaw members of the illustrated device, taken in the plane of line 33 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

The work jaw device illustrated includes piston actuator means having adjustable stop means 12 secured thereto and work jaw means 14 journaled upon the stop means 1 and extended forwardly thereof.

The piston actuator means 10 comprises a piston cylinder 16 having piston means 18 disposed therein and the piston rod 20 thereof extended through the forward end of the cylinder. Fluid supply and exhaust lines 22 and 24 are secured to opposite ends of cylinder 16 for supplying and exhausting piston actuating fluid from chambers 26 and 28 provided within the cylinder on opposite sides of piston 18.

A bracket 30 is secured to the end of the piston cylinder 16 and receives the adjustable stop means 12 within a guide passage 32 formed therethrough. The stop means 12 includes a shaft 34 having a stop flange 36 provided at the terminal end thereof and has a flat surface 38 formed at the other end and within bracket 30 which is engaged by a set screw or other adjustable retainer 40 threaded through the bracket and engaging the shaft. The length of the shaft 34 extending forwardnited States atent ice 1y of the piston actuator means 10 is thus adjustable for varying the stroke of the work jaw means 14, as will be described.

The work jaw means 14 includes a slide block 42received upon s'haft'3'4 of stop means 12 and journaled thereon upon journal bearings 44 and 46. Spaced arms 48 and 50 are secured to the slide block 42 on opposite sides of the block and receive the terminal end of the stop means 12' therebetween. The weight of the'arms 48 and 50 is lightened by holes 52 formed therein.

Work receiving means 54 are provided at the terminal ends of arms 48 and 5t) and include a work jaw member 56 on the extreme ends of the arms and a bell crank work jaw member 58 pivotally secured to the arms upon pin means 60 retained by cotter 62 as shown most clear.- ly in Figure 3.

A Work jaw actuating rod 64, secured to the end of piston rod 20 as by coupling 66, engages the work jaw member 58 to close the jaw member against jaw mem-- ber 56, as will be described. The actuator rod 64 is supported within guide means 68 secured to the arms 48 and 50 of the work jaw means 14. Back stop nuts 70 are threaded on rod 64 and a spring member 72 is disposed about the rod between the back stop nuts and guide means 68 so that the initial forward movement of rod 64 carries the work jaw means 14 forward to the limit of the stop flange 36, through spring 72.

Pin means 74 are provided at the end of rod 64 and are received within'a cam slot 76 formed within the work jaw member 58. The pin and slot form cam means whereby the continued forward axial movement of rod 64, after the work jaw means 14 has reached the limit of its travel, forces the work jaw into engagement with jaw 56.

The work jaw device disclosed is particularly adaptable for use with stamping presses upon the end of a mechanical arm such as is shown and described in Sahlin 2,275,561. The jaw device, having the stop means 12 adjusted to provide the required travel of the jaw means 14 into a press will dispose jaw member 56 adjacent a flanged part of the stamped piece in the press, as for example work flange 78 shown in Figures 1 and 2, after which the jaw member 58 is cammed into locked engagement with the flanged part and thereafter the work device is withdrawn, with the workpiece, from the press.

I claim:

A work jaw member for use with apparatus for ejecting stampings from presses and the like and which comprises a fluid cylinder having a piston member reciprocally disposed therein and including an actuator rod having one end thereof extended from one end of said cylinder, a guide bar adjustably secured to said cylinder and extended therebeyond in parallel spaced relation over saidv actuator rod, a stop provided at the end of said guide bar, work jaw members pivotally secured together, one of said jaw members including a sleeve portion journaled upon said guide bar and the other of said jaw members being pivotally connected to said one end of said actuator rod, said actuator rod including adjustable means for changing the length thereof to complement the adjusted setting of said guide bar, an actuator pin provided near the extended end of said rod, a cam slot provided within said other jaw member for receiving said pin, said cam slot and pin translating the reciprocal movement of said actuator rod to pivotal movement of said other jaw member into engaged and cam locked engagement with said one jaw, and spring means engaged between said one work jaw member and said actuator bar for biasing said other work jaw member in an open position and for transmitting the work jaw actuating forces initially to move said one jaw member to engage said stop at the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stenhouse May 14, 1929 Crowell et al Jan. 6, 1931 Sahlin Mar. 10, 1942 Frame Dec. 26, 1950 Davidson Jan. 22, 1952 Sahlin Sept. 9, 1952 Maniaci Sept. 9, 1952 4 2,677,342 Miller May 4, 1954 2,763,229 Sahlin Sept. 18, 1956 2,781,136 Sehn et al Feb. 12, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES A publication by Sahlin Engineering Co., 267 Ferndale, Birmingham, Michigan, entitled Sahlin Iron Hand Automatic Unloaders for Presses, Welding Machines, Shears and Brakes, 7 pages, copyright 1950.

A publication by Sahlin Engineering Co., P. O. Box 289, Birmingham, Michigan, entitled Sahlin Iron Hand Unloading Machines, 16 pages. Page 16 appears to indicate that the printing date is January 1954. 

